IIA. Related Applications
There are no applications related hereto heretofore filed in this or in any foreign country.
IIB. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to battery powered drills and more particularly to a light structure releasably attachable between the drill as its powering battery that has a releasably attachable handle to allow use as a stand alone light independent of the drill when powered by the drill battery.
IIC. Background and Description of Prior Art
With the advent of present day rechargeable batteries of relatively small size and long life that provide substantial power for longer periods between chargings, cordless battery powering has become popular for the operation of smaller hand tools. This has been especially true in the case of drills, which by their nature and use are well suited for powering by battery means. Often battery powered tools such as drills are used in poorly lighted areas, commonly more often than their corded relatives, because of the opportunities battery operated tools present for use in areas where wire transmitted power sources are not available. The instant invention provides a light structure for use with battery powered drills to illuminate the area in which the tool operates to facilitate tool use and also provides such a light structure that may be used independently as a stand alone light source having no attachment to the battery powered drill.
Most battery powered drills of the present day market place provide an elongate drill body with a medial depending handle releasably interconnecting, both structurally and electrically, a battery pack depending therebeneath. My light structure is particularly adapted for use with such drills in providing a structure that is releasably positionable between a powering battery and the powered drill. If the drill is removed from the light structure, an associated handle may be interconnected with the light structure to provide a battery powered light that is separate and independent from the drill.
Various light structures have heretofore become known for use with electrically powered drills, but in general those light structures have been particularly adapted for use only with the drill to light only the area at and about an area on a work piece where a drilling operation is carried out. The instant light structure is distinguishable from such prior light structures in that it is releasably positionable between the powering battery and the powered drill to allow selective use of the drill with or without the light structure and in providing an associated handle for use with the light structure to allow that structure and the releasably interconnected powering battery to serve as a stand alone light, completely separated from and independent of the drill, to light any desired area.
To provide maximum utility a drill light generally must provide illumination in the area where the drill bit is to operate. Since the general configuration of battery powered drills varies with individual manufactures and the lengths of various bits used in such tools vary, the instant light structure provides a movably mounted light source so that the generated light bean can be easily and conveniently manually positioned by the user to accommodate particular existent conditions and light particularly desired areas. This is accomplished by providing a light source, with a wide angle beam, that is pivotally mounted relative to the light structure to allow adjustable positioning through a substantial angular range in a vertical plane through the drill bit axis.
For the stand alone light formed by the releasably interconnected drill battery, light structure and handle structure to provide maximum utility, the light source must be positionable for a wide range of angulation and orientation relative to a surface supporting the light structure. The pivotal mounting of the light source on the light structure aids this function, but the pivotal mounting is substantially enhanced by the particular handle structure that provides an L-shaped handle pivotally mounted on the light structure and having two elongate elements pivotally interconnected with each other to form a handle that allows substantial variance in the positioning of the light beam generated by the light source when the light structure is supported on an underlying surface partially by the handle. The stand alone light""s positioning is generally limited only by an operator""s ingenuity in relatively positioning the elements of the light structure for support. This feature is particularly adapted to allowing the light beam to be angulated upwardly relative to the light structure to illuminate a work area such as the under surface of a vehicle or other structure spacedly above the light.
My invention does not reside in any one of these features individually, but rather in the synergistic combination of all of its structures which necessarily give rise to the functions flowing therefrom as herein specified, illustrated and claimed.
My invention generally provides a light structure for use with battery powered electric drills having a depending handle releasably carrying a removable battery therebeneath. The light structure has a lower connecting portion configured to releasably interconnect with the existing connecting structure of the battery and an upper connecting structure configuration to releasably interconnect with the existing connecting structure of the powered drill. The light structure provides a pivotally interconnected light source at the forward end to pivot in a vertical plane relatively to the vertically positioned drill to adjustably illuminate an area about that whereat a drill bit operates. An interconnectable handle structure provides a base having lower connecting structure configured to releasably interconnect the connecting structure defined by the upper portion of the light structure to aid manual manipulation and support of the light structure and an interconnected drill battery to serve as a stand alone light. The handle body pivotally carries an L-shape handle formed by two pivotally interconnected elongate elements to provide a wide range of support positions for the stand-alone light mode of the light structure on an underlying supporting surface.
In providing such a device, it is:
A principal object to provide a particular light structure for a battery powered drill that is releasably interconnectable, both structurally and electrically, between the drill and a powering battery.
A further object is to provide such a light structure that has a pivotally mounted light source in its forward portion to allow angularly adjustable positioning of the light source in a vertical plane.
A further object is to provide such a light structure that has an articulatible handle structure releasably interconnectable in the drill connecting structure to provide a stand alone light separate and disconnected from the drill when interconnected with the drill battery.
A further object is to provide such a handle structure that is pivotally connected with a handle for angular motion in a vertical plane.
A still further object is to provide such a handle that is formed by two pivotally interconnected elongate elements for pivotal motion in the same vertical plane as the pivotal motion of the handle to aid adjustable positioning of the light structure on an underlying supporting surface.
A still further object is to provide such a light structure that is of new and novel design, of a rugged and durable nature, of simple and economic manufacture and one that is otherwise well-suited to the uses and purposes for which it is intended.